Looming Pandemic Threat: Emergent Conditions Converging to Favor Pathogen Spread and Infection Outbursts
Climate Change Fuels Increased Infectious Disease Transmission
The warming planet, along with extreme weather events, is creating a conducive environment for the rise of infectious diseases, according to medical societies and researchers.
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Medical Society, and the American Society of Microbiology, among others, have been issuing warnings about the implications of climate change on human health. Conferences like ASM Microbe and IDWeek are giving a platform to these experts to discuss the link between climate change and the spread of infectious diseases.
At ASM Microbe, Rachel Harold, a consultant with the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, commended the organization for prioritizing climate change and emphasizing its role in microbiology. She appreciated their strong call to action to the microbiology community to address the issue.
Climate change poses a significant threat to the health of individuals by adversely affecting food and water sources, air quality, weather patterns, and interactions with both built and natural environments. This was outlined in a 2016 intergovernmental report (health2016.globalchange.gov).
Vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas, which carry diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease, are seeing changes in their habitats due to climate change, prolonging their breeding seasons and promoting disease transmission. Furthermore, the proliferation of fungal pathogens like Candida auris and Aspergillus flavus can increase the risk of related infections, particularly in regions like Europe, where climate-driven changes may lead to a surge in fungal diseases.
Medical societies and health organizations are emphasizing several key actions to curb the impact of climate change on infectious diseases. These include fostering more research on the effects of climate change on fungal pathogens and other infectious diseases, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing public health infrastructure, and promoting international collaboration. By working together, they aim to share knowledge, coordinate health responses, and develop effective strategies to address the health impacts of climate change.
Science and health-and-wellness sectors are increasingly focusing on the link between climate change and infectious disease transmission, as evident in conferences like ASM Microbe and IDWeek. worellness Research suggests that changes in climate are affecting the habitats and breeding seasons of vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas, which carry diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease, promoting disease transmission. Furthermore, climate change can contribute to the proliferation of environmental-science concerns like fungal pathogens, altering the risk of related infections, particularly in Europe and other regions where climate-driven changes may lead to a surge in fungal diseases.
